


halone smile upon thee

by 님 (nymmiah)



Series: cunicular hope [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Developing Relationship, M/M, Male Viera Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Touch-averse Warrior of Light, Unnamed Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:20:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25279930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nymmiah/pseuds/%EB%8B%98
Summary: Aymeric de Borel did not appreciate being made into an unwitting voyeur to the quiet intimacy between Lord Haurchefant and the Warrior of Light.A "what if" scenario, spinning off of drabble no. 8 ofleporine dreams.
Relationships: Aymeric de Borel/Haurchefant Greystone, Aymeric de Borel/Warrior of Light, Haurchefant Greystone/Warrior of Light
Series: cunicular hope [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1831447
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	halone smile upon thee

**Author's Note:**

> The Warrior of Light that is introduced here is the same WoL introduced in _leporine dreams_. As such, this refers to situations that occurred in that collection. (specifically https://archiveofourown.org/works/25244566/chapters/61240090 ), but can be read separately.

By the _Fury_. Could they not do this someplace else?

Aymeric felt as if a voyeur when he saw the smile that Haurchefant sent the Warrior and the gentle touch of the back of his hand against the Warrior’s cheek that followed.

He turned away when Haurchefant leaned his head in to murmur some words to the Warrior, a quiet and loving thing to which Aymeric did his best not to listen.

This was intimacy in a manner of which he had never attributed the Warrior capable.

The Warrior of Light had always been--stoic, a stony man whose stern exterior would shed only in the company of few men. The company would consist of the late Scions, no doubt, of Alphinaud and Tataru, and Aymeric knew now, of Haurchefant. The intimate list listed not Aymeric’s own name--so why in Halone’s name was the Warrior enjoying quiet intimacy in this very room?

Aymeric could not dismiss himself from his own _office_ , nor would he be cold enough to send the Warrior and his dear friend from the room. He resigned himself to being an unwilling voyeur, placed into such a position by the lack of Haurchefant’s tact and the Warrior’s own lack of care for an audience.

From the corner of his eye, he could see the knight’s hand now caress the Warrior’s cheek.

Noisily, he moved reams of paper from side to side, rustling them as he read through reports in an attempt to drown out the quiet whispers from Haurchefant. However, he had been born with elezen ears, and subsequently cursed with the sensitivity of such ears.

_“--sight of it! His face has turned red!”_

Aymeric could feel a wholly justified irritation and embarrassment settle over his shoulders, burning his ears just as red as his countenance. _“Lord Haurchefant,”_ he snapped. “You need not comment upon mineself, when you hath placed me into the position of an unwilling audience.”

“Well, my lord commander, you needs forget not that you have the power to remove us from your quarters,” Haurchefant’s response came swiftly. “I should think that you were not so unwilling an audience as you claim.”

The Warrior’s hand had come over Haurchefant’s face in a practiced motion, the breadth of his palm covering Haurchefant’s broad mouth. It did nothing to hide the mirth in Haurchefant’s eyes, nor the raised cheeks that hinted at a wide grin.

“He orchestrated this for a question.” The viera remarked bluntly. “So ask it, Haurchefant.”

The hand was removed from the lord’s face, but Haurchefant kept the hand trapped within his own. Aymeric averted his eyes from yet another intimacy shared between the two.

“--My question, right,” Haurchefant remarked in distraction. “Well--I shall endeavour to be as straightforward as our dear Warrior of Light here, and just come out with it. Do not be shocked, lord commander, for the contents of this question, but I sincerely doubt that the Warrior would appreciate me going ‘round and ‘round with my words as I finally come to the heart of the matter...” The viera scoffed here, clearly unimpressed by Haurchefant’s endless rambling.

Aymeric’s brows rose at the uncharacteristic nervousness that his fellow now showed. There was no denying the curiosity that had been birthed by Haurchefant’s avoidance of the question, for all that discomfort remained in his position as voyeur of intimacy.

Haurchefant’s countenance had darkened with a flush. “The Warrior is far too much for one elezen to handle, even one such as myself--would you be amenable to, _ah_ , participating?”

 _Participating_. The context implied that Haurchefant was asking Aymeric if he would… participate in their relationship, most likely in their bed. Did they not have an exclusive courtship as implied by their gentle intimacy? Or--was this an event that was born solely because the Warrior was a viera, not elezen?

Haurchefant had always been a candid man, caring not a whit for adhering to the strict tenets of the Ishgardian faith. Only Haurchefant would be so calm and accepting of the thought of bedding more than one person in the same bed as his lover. Aymeric could feel a flush rise upon his own features at the thought of such flagrant thoughts--sinful, in the eyes of the Holy See.

“I have told you, ‘tis a seasonal event.” The viera suddenly remarked, a scowl crossing his features briefly ere it returned to his typical stern visage. “Asking this now is premature. Nothing will happen for yet another three winters.”

Aymeric turned his gaze to the viera in askance.

Answers came not from the Warrior, and instead from Haurchefant.

“The Warrior experiences some manner of seasonal carnality,” he exclaimed. “Mayhaps it is common amongst all viera men, but it is far too much for any single person to handle--I still feel it in my legs how hard he bred me.”

Bred! Aymeric coughed, having choked upon naught but surprise.

“As fortunate and blessed as I was to be trusted with the task, we came to ask--” Haurchefant winced when the viera nudged his side with a rough elbow, “--mine apologies, dear friend. _I_ came to ask if you would be amenable to aiding me should such an event come again unexpectedly.” He then turned to face the Warrior. “It is never premature to ask for one’s consent!”

Aymeric cleared his throat, averting his eyes from both Haurchefant Greystone and the Warrior of Light. He was silent in thought, unable to quite come to terms with the sheer outlandishness of the preposition. And it was a preposition indeed--with no word on whether this was a courtship or an arrangement to merely bed the Warrior when this ‘seasonal carnality’ came.

“Is it… in any manner, similar to the cycles that the miqo’te experience?” Aymeric asked a moment later, if only to fill the silence in the room.

“I know not of miqo’te or of any cycles.” The Warrior stated quietly.

Aymeric had never felt such discomfort from a conversation before. Feeling his ears burn with embarrassment, and his pride chafe from such topics, he said, “Ah--from what I understand, it is a… regularly recurring event, in which the females of the miqo’te become capable of bearing children. And this incites a certain… hm, quality within their males, instigating what is called a rut by the miqo’te.”

“... Yes, it is similar to that.” The viera said finally. “I suppose. I know not of viera. It’s merely a deep urge to breed and to bed someone.”

Haurchefant spoke up to add a sly, “The Warrior has disclosed to me that he has no memories of his past.”

Aymeric suppressed the urge to rub at his temples, rising to his feet to stride to the fireplace that yet burned with a cheerful flame.

“Lay this out clearly for me, mine friends,” he requested firmly, though he dared not spare them a glance lest his tongue be tied by his discomfort. “Are you asking me to fill your bed solely when the Warrior experiences this rut?”

There was silence behind him for quite some time, but Aymeric turned not. Mayhaps they were sharing some form of silent conversation in this time, for Haurchefant’s voice soon came.

“If you would be amenable to that alone, then yes, I am asking that of you,” Haurchefant revealed. “However, if you were amenable to more than that, then I would request your hand in joint courtship of the Warrior.”

The Warrior exhaled audibly, the sound seemingly filled with exasperation.

“You said nothing of courtship to me.” The statement was blandly spoken, and Aymeric found himself turning, if only to see what sort of expression the Warrior had on his face.

The viera’s expression was clear of any furrowed brows, and his stern lips were not so stern, curved for once into a lovely shape. In that moment, he looked naught like the statue he so oft resembled, and instead, a man of flesh and vivacity.

Haurchefant, too, looked as affected as Aymeric himself felt.

“Well? What did you think I was attempting this entire time with you, my dearest friend?” Haurchefant asked, his tone infused with a fondness that had Aymeric flushing once more from the proximity he had with such loving intimacy. “I’ve told you, time and time again--you could request anything of me. I would give you all that you could ask of me. You were not open to my heart when I first ventured to offer this to you.”

The Warrior fell silent, looking away. In the flickering light of the fireplace Aymeric could see that the Warrior’s stern countenance had turned pink, the colour of soft petals blooming vividly in the spring.

“And you, lord commander, are also interested in the Warrior.” Haurchefant revealed. “I should think that a man of such love for all of Ishgard would be capable of loving just as openly amongst his friends.”

Before Aymeric could speak up his mind on this arrangement that Haurchefant seemed determined to single-handedly form, the Warrior shook his head. “I am not a capable lover--you should expect naught from me.”

“I think I am capable of judging whether one is a capable lover or not!” Haurchefant crowed. “You, my friend, are magnificent. If you are worried that your distaste for prolonged contact is grounds for being deemed a terrible lover, then you would be most decidedly wrong!”

“Am I to assume that you would be constantly as outspoken as this in this courtship--should I choose to accept it, that is?” Aymeric was swift to add, lest his words be construed as thoughtless and reckless acquiesce for Haurchefant’s schemes.

“My dear lord commander, it sounds as if you already did,” Haurchefant’s smile was sly, and inspired a strange sensation in the pit of Aymeric’s abdomen. Nervousness, mayhaps was the right term to describe it.

The Warrior’s expression remained uncharacteristically open in its fondness as he gazed upon the Fortemps knight with soft crystalline eyes. Those eyes changed not a whit as they moved to rest upon Aymeric. So moved by the expression, Aymeric found himself saying, “Yes…” He smiled, a helpless expression upon his countenance. “I suppose I have.”

“Then it is decided! The lord commander and I shall devote our affections to you, my dearest friend--and treasure you as you should be treasured,” Haurchefant exclaimed with satisfaction befitting a coeurl that had caught a canary.

They could later figure out the details of what this courtship entailed.

Aymeric, at that very moment, was beguiled by the softness of the Warrior’s expression. He moved forth, taking hold of the Warrior’s hand and raised it to his lips.

To the side, Haurchefant had come to rest his hand upon Aymeric’s shoulder.

\--Folly, it would have been to guess that such unwilling voyeurism had led to this; the Warrior of Light’s hand in courtship, and the warmth of Haurchefant’s gaze upon his countenance.

Halone’s will was truly inexplicable and her mercy great.

Aymeric smiled.


End file.
